Post+and+Lintel

Post and Lintel

Ma. Carlota


 * DEFINITION**

Is a simple construction method using a lintel, header, or architrave as the horizontal member over a building void supported at its ends by two vertical columns, pillars, or posts. This architectural system and building method has been commonly used for centuries to support the weight of the structure located above the openings created by windows and doors in a bearing wall.


 * HISTORY**

 From prehistoric times to the Roman Empire, the post – and – lintel system  was the root of architectural design. The interiors of Egyptian temples and the  exteriors of Greek temples are delineated by columns covered by stone lintels. The  Greeks opened their interior spaces by substituting wooden beams for stone, since the  wood required fewer supports. The development of the arch and vault challenged the  system but could not diminish its importance either in masonry construction or in  wood framing, by its nature dependent on posts and beams.


 * POST**

The job of the post is to support the lintel and its loads without crushing or buckling. Failure occurs, as in lintels, from excessive weakness or length, but the difference is that the material must be especially strong in compression. Stone, which has this property, is more versatile as a post than as a lintel; under heavy loads it is superior to wood but not to iron, steel, or reinforced concrete. Masonry post, including those of brick, may be highly efficient, since the loads compress the joints and add to their cohesiveness. Although monolithic stone columns are used, they are extravagant to produce for large structures, and columns are usually built up of a series of cylindrical blocks called drums.


 * BEAN**
 * The job of the beam or lintel is to bear loads that rest on it, also includes its own wheigth.
 * The beam has to be able to do this without deformor break.


 * Span-Material Relations**

The span between the column or post depends on the bending resistance of the material of the beam.Stones are weak in bending, the span it smaller Steel is strong in bending, so the use of steel beam can produce greater openings in a structure, such as barns.


 * Cantilever Beams**

A cantilever beam its a beam that is anchored only at one end.


 * Failures**

Failure occurs when the material is to weak or the span is to long to support the load. This makes the beam bend or break. This aspect combined with others can cause many structural accidents, destroying the structure like a house of cards.